The Posterior Chain & The Aerial Dancer: Why Focusing on the Lower Body can Improve Performance
- Abbi Rennes
- 14 hours ago
- 5 min read
A blog post I wrote on suspension training and shoulder hypertrophy gained significant attention in the pole community, leading to an engaging discussion about the pelvic floor and the posterior chain. In this post, I'll use "posterior chain" and "lower body" interchangeably, though they can have different meanings depending on the context, so please keep that in mind.
If you want to abridge this article into a simple sentence, it would come down to this: training the lower body is critical for stability in the air. Combine that with pelvic floor training for a more bullet proof functional aerial dancer.
So STABILITY, STABILITY, STABILITY. That is what it comes down to.
Stability is a crucial element for preventing injuries among pole dancers. But what does stability entail in the realm of fitness?
DEMYSTIFYING STABILITY
In the fitness world, stability refers to the ability to maintain your balance and body control, engaging the proper muscles with bodily alignment and proper mechanics, and preventing injury by exercising. It's our ability to do things with intention and resist the external unknowns like a sudden shove, a loud noise, a rocky surface, or even tripping over your own toes (Yes I've done it).
Stability starts at the joint and works its way outwards. Joint stability means the joint is able to maintain it's position and allow smooth movement throughout it's full range of motion - aka no wobble wobble. Stability and mobility of a joint can be trained, however, there is neurological component that can can take months for long-term, permanent effects. This is best done with a licensed practitioner or a highly trained personal trainer.
Once the joint is stable, it then it works its way outwards to bodily stability. This looks likes balance, muscular control, and muscular coordination. This area can be trained with a certified personal trainer, preferably one that specializes in corrective exercise work and a high attention to detail. What this looks like is smooth lines and clean dancing in the sport.
Stability is important in fitness because it builds a strong foundation where growth can blossom from. It's hard to improve performance with a rocky start. So getting the foundations of your body moving correctly will not only get you feeling better, but also help the long-term goals look more reachable. One other fun bonus is stability also allows for stronger, more powerful movements. Hello high jumps and heavy lifts!
SO WHY THE HECK AM I LECTURING ABOUT STABILITY WHEN THIS POST IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THE LOWER BODY?
What a great question. When we think about pole dancing as a sport, a lot of times we think about the upper body and it's injuries. A fair assumption, but what I've found in practice is most injuries come from the core and work it's way down to the feet in most individuals. Why is this the case? Well a lot of times the lower body is neglected far more than the upper body when we dance, but we forget that straight lines come from strong hips, extensions come from strong glutes, and control of the ankle improves bend performance and also - let's not forget about the thousands of times you roll an ankle or hurt your toe while pointing.
Let's think about this plainly. If your knee hurts, what are all the moves you can/can't do while dancing? Quite a bit of moves. So it's important that you keep the knees healthy otherwise it will slow down your progress.
Remember when I said stabilization works from the joint outwards? Let's think about it in terms of the hip and those silky smooth lines we are all going for.
BREAKING DOWN THE HIP IN SIMPLE TERMS
The hip is a very complex area because a LOT of muscles connect from and connect to the hip. I won't get into extensive detail, as there are physical therapists and surgeons that specialize in the hip that you can refer to. So here's what you really need to know. The large muscles that attach to the hips are the quads complex, hamstring complex, glute complex, hip flexor complex, lower abdominal muscles complex (aka pelvic floor), the low back psoas muscle, the quadratus lumborum (aka. Iow back muscles). All of these muscles need to have appropriate level of range of motion for the movements in dance, as well as strength to get into, hold, and out of positions with control.
If these muscles are relaxed and firing correctly, then once warm, these muscles can be stretch and challenged at their end range of motion. Thus overtime improving active flexibility in the muscle as well as stabilizing the surrounding joint. If you combine this with joint mobilization work before training, you can get a balanced posterior program that will gradually improve your hip mobility overtime as well as the function of your core and glutes. These muscles are BIG and they do a LOT for you. Spending time in this area will definitely make a dancer feel looser and more in control of their body.
BEING STRONG DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE IN CONTROL
As aerial dancers, a lot of hypertrophy (muscle gain) is found in the upper body. With training the lower body and core, you can significantly put on mass. However, that doesn't mean you are in control.
For example, powerlifters can squat hundreds of pounds. But if you ask them to do a boomerang. All of a sudden the quads start cramping and they can't get their legs high in the air. All those small stabilizing muscles in the hip flexors are weak and thus, cannot stabilize them in that position. Again, just because you are "strong" doesn't mean you're in control.
SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?
There are plenty of research studies out there in regards to suspension training. One that I like to note is a study that looked at muscular activation in a suspension front plank. Fascinatingly enough, the core muscles did fire more when challenged with fit suspended on the straps.
If we are talking about cross training for aerial dancers, I would put a heavier emphasis on the posterior chain, and specifically exercises where the legs are suspended in straps or elevated in any capacity. This forces more core activation and when trained on how to use the pelvic floor, can make the exercises more functional for aerial dance.
Examples off the top of my head would be a suspension hamstring curl, a Bulgarian split squat, seated leg press, pelvic lifts, seated leg lifts, etc. If you can think of exercises that require you to press your legs upward and/or require your legs to be suspended to do the exercise, then the exercise is more functional for an aerial dancer.
If you combine that with a mixture of strength training designed for muscle growth, active flexibility training, and a joint mobility routine, the changes of injury would decrease significantly.
It is recommended that individuals start at 20s for each movement that involves suspension and work their way up to 30-45s sets.
IN CONCLUSION
The posterior chain is important to a dancer because it builds their foundation upright and allows them to use the power of their lower body to keep them suspended in the air for longer. Making sure the entire lower body is firing correctly and moving correctly is important to build a solid foundation where dance training will gain the most benefits long term instead of frustration, plateaus, and injuries while attempting the sport.
I will share some links to some studies below in regards to suspension work below for your own reading enjoyment.
Happy training.
This blog was fully drafted by the original writer and was not edited with AI
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